mcsi
More MCSI Active Members needed - read for more details ...
Millerstown Community Success, Inc.
MCS, Inc.
In August, 2003, discussions began to take place regarding the appearance of our town square and the approaches into town, as well. Local resident Curt Black saw a need and a purpose for both visual and physical improvements, and with only a few phone calls, got a strong response from other townspeople. Many meetings have taken place at Borough Hall since that time, and the following ideas have been or will be implemented. First of all, this very website was discussed and approved before the Borough Council at that November meeting.
Numerous other ideas and considerations were brought up, as well. A study was begun to implement an upgrade to the Square, with appearance improvements such as planters, benches, trees, and possibly a Town Square clock. Improvements to the center 'traffic islands' will require Penn Dot consultation, but small plantings and new curbing were some of the suggestions presented. In addition, vintage lighting for the square, new signs at the town entrances, and elimination of overhead wiring were discussed. Meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Borough Building. All interested residents are welcome to attend and share ideas and thoughts. Hope to see you there !
In the first step necessary to begin our mission, new officers were voted on and installed at the January meeting. This is due to state and federal regulations pertaining to non-profit organizations seeking to obtain grants and funding for community projects and improvements. The present committee now consists of the following volunteers :
Curt Black, Chairperson
Harold Brookhart, Vice-Chair
Sherry Black, Treasurer
Wendy Sweger, Secretary
Board of Directors ...
Teresa Hunker, Vicki Shea, Ellie Switzer, Audrey Kerr, Nancy
Bratton, Krista Donbaugh, Donna Showers, Olga Brookhart, and
Timothy V. Reilly
Committee Members ... Mid Savercool, Kathy Magill
The purpose of this committee is to beautify and revitalize the borough of Millerstown while preserving its historical significance.
Millerstown is a small rural community in northeastern Perry County. It is the oldest planned community in the county and at one time had the most stone buildings in the state of Pennsylvania. The surrounding area is agriculture based land and the borough is home to people employed in the town and surrounding areas, including Harrisburg and Lewistown.
We are asking you to support our endeavors. Our initial goal is to beautify the square of Millerstown with a new streetscape. We have met with an architect and are preparing to make some decisions that will require great financial output and planning. We realize that we will need to meet our goal without burdening the citizens of Millerstown. Your support, either financially, technically, or politically will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Millerstown Community Success, Inc.
Mission Statement
Concerning the formation of the Millerstown Community Success
organization ...
Understanding that a focused effort is needed, residents, businesses and borough officials have come together to implement the goals of the Mission Statement.
"Millerstown Community Success, Incorporated" or 'MCS, Inc.', is a grassroots, non-profit organization of the citizens of Millerstown. Their goal is to unite citizens to improve the appearance of the community and overall attitude of citizens toward Millerstown. This group wants citizens to be proud of their hometown. Specific Objectives of "MCS, Inc." include:
Coordinating the selection process for an independent facilitator/consultant to help the committee and partnership groups structure revitalization planning activities and recommendations.
Establishing the vision / mission for the revitalization process along with guiding principles, goals and objectives.
Analyzing opportunities for new and innovative solutions to future improvements employing best practices of other successful communities.
Cultivating broad-based discussion with Millerstown's citizens and with key constituent groups to disseminate information and to gather input on issues, opportunities and alternatives.
Compiling information, reporting findings, and making recommendations to civic leaders for short- and long-term improvements to the community/downtown area.
Suggesting funding opportunities and optimal sequencing for priorities.
Our town was built on the agriculture of the county. This industry shaped our community. Our downtown served everyone. It was the place where you traded your livestock or goods, bought groceries, saw the doctor, sold your crops, got your prescription filled, saw a movie, and the list goes on and on. Our heritage is crucial to who we are today. It’s a mirror. It tells us who we are, how we got here, and where we want to go. Its prosperity and forward thinking enabled Millerstown to grow to where it is today. Our heritage deserves to be remembered and preserved. Our downtown reflects our past and can define our future. It tells the outside world what type of community we are. We must cherish and preserve our past, our heritage, and the unique character of our town square, all the while embracing the future.
This is a project that we hope takes hold in many, small ways. By engaging the memories of what once was we can imagine our future and begin to see it re-emerge…one person, one idea, and one memory at a time. We are not in competition with malls, builders and big stores. That’s not what our effort is about. It is all about a sense of place. The dream for our downtown is simple yet complex. We'd like to see townspeople sit on the square and eat their lunch together. We'd like to see folks sitting on benches in the square on a sunny day. We want trees to cool us in the summer. We want buildings and businesses that beckon us to enter. We want visitors to be so enchanted that they return again and again. We'd like residents to find the goods and services and atmosphere that they need just a short walk from their homes. We'd like the downtown to be the place to come to. We want our downtown to have grace, dignity and charm. We want our downtown to be the thriving pulse of Millerstown. We want downtown to remind us of why we choose to live and stay in Millerstown. We want downtown to anchor our sense of place and inspire the community to make dreams happen. Some of the things we would like to accomplish are as follows:
Create landscape buffers between the sidewalk and parking areas along the square thoroughfare.
Add street trees to this buffer, where appropriate, to provide scale and shade.
Using the sidewalk and curb system create clear and definite entries and exits to commercial establishments.
Provide decorative, vintage-style lighting that is scaled to the pedestrian versus automobile traffic, thus adding a scale element with detail and interest.
Add benches and planters along points and perimeter of the square.
Initiate improvements, landscaping and lighting to the two traffic islands which help to define our square.
"MCS, Inc." is a preservation-based , improvement- focused organization working cooperatively within our community and with local, state and federal government to bring the resources and expertise to bear that we need to help ourselves revitalize downtown and our entire community.
Our group consists entirely of community volunteers who will organize and implement all projects and activities, striving to make our community all it can and should be! We want the best of the old, the best of the new, the best that is yet to come.